Psychologist Discusses Proper Handling Of Alarming Events; Understanding Individual Variability Key

BERLIN — The fear and concern created by the unfounded bomb threats that have disrupted local schools in the past two weeks has been stressful for some parents and their young students. Yet, somewhere in all of that disruption and uncertainty is an opportunity for parents and their children to have a real conversation about recent events in order to not only talk about their feelings or fears, but to more importantly decipher fact from fiction and understand the importance of labeling each of those things clearly.

This week, The Dispatch sat down with Dr. Jennifer Leggour, who is a clinical psychologist and the clinical director at Worcester Youth and Family Counseling Services. She says that while kids today are much tougher than we think, parents still need to stay calm and listen intently to what they have to say during and after scary situations.

Here’s a look at what we discussed on Wednesday, the day after the most recent bomb threat at Stephen Decatur High School.

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